I'd like to get some opinions. I recently installed a commercial software app (not shareware) that periodically (a couple of times a week or more) will pop up a window within its workspace promoting other things to buy from that same vendor. It's not big, probably only about 10% of the workspace, and it disappears on its own after a few seconds. But it bugs me a lot. I don't mind ads in freeware (they deserve some sort of revenue), particularly if you can buy a license that turns off the ads. But ads in fully paid (and not cheap) programs really tick me off.

Am I alone? Have you experienced this? Does it bother you? Do you like it? Do you care one way or the other about it?

You missed out "Do adds bother you so much you'd uninstall it", I'd definitely put my mark against that.

I'm infuriated by adds, I go to great lengths to ensure I don't have any on my PC, and I would most definitely not install anything on my machine that had them.

If I want a product, I will go out and find it. I fairly glow with rage at the constant barrage of adds we are hit with nowadays. From unsolicited phone calls, junk post, spam, and all the other ways that advertisers try to get us to look at their worthless products.

Sorry rant over. Put me down as Ads bother me a lot.

PS. I have my name on all the opt out lists for phone sales and junk post, and still get hit with a deluge of it on a daily basis. If they ever make it a death penalty to send it, and they're looking for a hangman to carry out the sentence, look no further, I'm your man.

I'm with both of you on the extreme dislike of ads, especially in commercial software. As said, freeware or shareware I can deal with while I'm trying it out but then I expect the adds to be gone if I buy or pay for a license.

In the past when commercial software has come with ads I have run a spyware/adware program targeting the offending title and on occasions I have been able to remove the ads and the timers that pop them up without detriment to the program. No doubt this is in violation of the copyright notices and terms of use affixed to the software, but then not telling the buyer that this is adware, while no illegal (not yet, though there are regulations covering what the buyer can reasonable expect to be informed about in relation to any purchase) is lacking a degree of business ethics, I my opinion, anyway.

It make me wonder, sometimes, exactly what is installed on my computer and what it does, who it reports to, what information is actually sent, etc.

Fortunately, there are new laws in the process here in Australia that will require software makers to fully disclose what is installed on a system and also that everything that was installed, no matter what, be fully removed upon uninstalling the software.

There are pros and cons to this, especially if the software is purchased overseas, but if you can buy it in Australia software makers must comply.

You missed out "Do adds bother you so much you'd uninstall it", I'd definitely put my mark against that.
... Sorry rant over. Put me down as Ads bother me a lot.
PS. I have my name on all the opt out lists for phone sales and junk post, and still get hit with a deluge of it on a daily basis. If they ever make it a death penalty to send it, and they're looking for a hangman to carry out the sentence, look no further, I'm your man.

Hi all !
I join in the utter dislike of having Ads included in software purchased in good faith.! and you may add me as assistant hangman to Gary.

Gary: You should not reply to the opt out options in spam or junk mail, your response only validates your address to the spammers so they know your e-mail address works and can be added to more of the lists they sell. Besides they never respect your wish to be removed from those lists.

Thanks for your concern, but you mis-understood my post. I most definitely do NOT reply to spam, or click on links requesting to be removed from mailing lists.

Here in the UK, we have a series of official bodies, to whom you can apply, to have your name added to a list of people who don't want junk mail, junk phone calls etc. They're known as Telephone Preference Service, Mailing Preference Service etc.

I have my names on these lists, and theoretically, advertisers are not supposed to contact people whose names are on that list. It is supposed to be an offence for them to do so. However, despite the fact that it has undoubtedly reduced the amount of such mail, and such calls, that I receive, it has by no means eliminated them.

As I said, I go to some pains to see that I'm contacted ONLY by those I wish to communicate with.

As for Spam, my ISP has some quite good Spam filters. I also have more than one e-mail address, one given to friends and family, one given to trusted sites such as here, one given on other sites (this is discarded and another opened when the spam gets too heavy).

Over the years I've noticed the presence of splash screens has diminished perhaps this internal advertising has replaced it. Can the style of ad you mention be 'live' Doug i.e. can be updated by the vendors server while you are online? Of course any firewall could disable the latter.